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Evolution & Biodives
VI. Evolution & Biodiversity
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| evolution | a process that results in heritable changes in a population spread over many generations. Occurs in a population; not an individual |
| Charles Darwin | Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection; book called On the Origin Species |
| Galapagos Islands | where Darwin traveled on the HMS Beagle as a naturalist to study tortoises, finches |
| fossils | preserved remains or traces of an organism that lived in the past |
| Jean-Baptiste Lamarck | Inheritance of Acquired Traits Theory (those traits inherited in a life time are passed to offspring) |
| acquired characteristics | non-hereditary trait or feature that develops during an organism's lifetime due to environmental factors or experiences, rather than being inherited through genes |
| On Origin of Species | Book by Darwin to present theory of natural selection and common descent |
| adaptation | any alteration in the structure or function of an organism or any of its parts that results from natural selection and by which the organism becomes better fit to survive and multiply |
| variations | differences in traits (alleles) among organisms; any differences in individuals of the same species |
| fitness | organism's ability to survive and reproduce in its environment, effectively passing on its genes to the next generation |
| natural selection | individuals with variations in traits that are more suited to their environment will survive to produce more offspring than other individuals. The favorable traits are passed on to later generations |
| artificial selection | Human intervention in animal or plant reproduction to ensure that certain desirable traits are represented in successive generations; selective breeding |
| common descent | the most recent ancestral form or species from which to different species evolved |
| biogeography | study of the geographical distribution of living species; example is camels and llamas |
| whale fossil record | transitional forms show species lived on land and then water, possible drive was food from environmental pressure |
| comparative anatomy | morphological (form or structure) or physiological (function) similarities between different species |
| homologous structures | organisms do share common ancestry or evolutionary origin; structures that have the same internal structure and may or may not have the same function |
| analogous structures | do not share a common ancestral or developmental origin; structures that have the same function between two organisms, but does not have the same physical structure |
| vestigial structures | refers to an organ or part (for example, the human appendix) which is greatly reduced from the original ancestral form and is no longer functional or is of reduced or altered function |
| transitional forms | species, often found as a fossil, that exhibits characteristics of both an ancestral group and a more recently evolved group, examples are whales, horses, elephants |
| embryology | study of embryological development of living species that provides clues to the evolution of present-day organisms |
| molecular biology | genes shared due to common ancestry (may be studied as proteins or amino acid sequences) |
| finch beaks | example of variations to show how different niches lead to adaptive radiation, phenotype variation for different food |
| gene pool | combination of all the genes (including alleles) present in a reproducing population or species |
| allele frequency | relative proportion of a specific allele (a version of a gene) within a population, p vs. q |
| microevolution | change in the genetic makeup (gene or allele frequencies) of a population over relatively short periods of time; example is antibiotic resistance |
| HIV evolution | HIV is a human immunodeficiency virus that attacks immune cells; it is a retrovirus (RNA) that mutates |
| antibiotic resistance | occurs when bacteria change in a way that reduces or eliminates the effectiveness of drugs (antibiotics) designed to kill or inhibit their growth; bacteria mutate |
| pesticide resistance | change in the sensitivity of a pest population to a pesticide, resulting in the failure of a correct application of the pesticide to control the pest; encourages natural selection in pests |
| directional selection | type of natural selection that favors one extreme phenotype over the average or other extreme |
| stabilizing selection | type of natural selection that favors the average individuals in a population |
| disruptive selection | type of natural selection that selects against the average individual in a population; rare; leads to speciation |
| genetic drift | the change in frequency of a gene variant (allele) in a population due to random sampling |
| bottleneck effect | drastic reduction in population size, often due to a catastrophic event, which then leads to a loss of genetic diversity within that population |
| Founder effect | type of genetic drift where a new population is formed by a small number of individuals from a larger population |
| sexual selection | form of natural selection where traits that enhance an individual's ability to find a mate and reproduce become more common in a population |
| genetic equilibrium | a state where the allele frequencies and genotype frequencies in a population remain constant from generation to generation. |
| Hardy-Weinberg principle | large, randomly mating population, the frequencies of alleles and genotypes will remain constant from generation to generation, provided that there are no disruptive evolutionary influences |
| Hardy-Weinberg equations | describe allele and genotype frequencies in a population that is not evolving; p² + 2pq + q² = 1, relates allele frequencies (p and q) to genotype frequencies. |
| Hardy-Weinberg five conditions | no mutations, random mating, no gene flow, infinitely large population size, and no natural selection |
| speciation | evolutionary formation of new biological species, usually by the division of a single species into two or more genetically distinct ones |
| reproductive isolation | inability of different species to interbreed and produce viable, fertile offspring |
| behavioral isolation | occurs when differences in courtship rituals or mating behaviors prevent two species from interbreeding |
| geographic isolation | The physical separation of members of a population. Populations may be physically separated when their original habitat becomes divided. Limits a population's ability to move freely. Example: when new land or water barriers form. |
| temporal isolation | where two species cannot interbreed because they breed at different times, whether it's different times of the day, different seasons, or even different years |
| molecular clock | method in biology that estimates the time of evolutionary events by measuring the rate of genetic mutations in DNA or protein sequences |
| paleontologist | scientist who studies ancient life by examining fossils |
| relative dating | determines the age of a fossil or rock layer by comparing it to other fossils or rock layers, without providing specific numerical ages |
| radiometric dating | the process of using unstable particles that break down into a different element to determine the age of materials |
| half-life | time it takes for a substance (like a drug or a radioactive isotope) to reduce to half its initial amount in a living organism |
| geological time scale | system that divides Earth's history into different intervals of time, based on major geological and biological events |
| plate tectonics | theory that the Earth's outer layer (lithosphere) is made up of several large and small plates that are in constant motion |
| continental drift | the movement of continents resulting from the motion of tectonic plates |
| macroevolution | large-scale evolutionary changes, particularly those occurring above the species level, that result in the formation of new taxonomic groups (like genera or families) over extended periods |
| mass extinction | the disappearance of members of a species from Earth; five major ones |
| gradualism | involves small changes that add up to major changes over a long period of time; smooth phylogenetic tree |
| punctuated equilibrium | pattern of evolution in which long stable periods are interrupted by brief periods of more rapid change; branched phylogenetic tree |
| adaptive radiation | process in which organisms diversify rapidly from an ancestral species into a multitude of new forms, particularly when a change in the environment makes new resources available, alters biotic interactions or opens new environmental niches |
| mammals | group of species exploded after dinosaurs became extinct from adaptive radiation since niches opened up |
| convergent evolution | evolution where organisms evolve structures that have similar structures or functions in spite of their evolutionary ancestors being very dissimilar or unrelated |
| coevolution | when two or more species evolve together, each influencing the other's evolution through their interactions; example flowers and pollinators |
| divergent evolution | process by which an interbreeding population or species diverges into two or more descendant species, resulting in once similar or related species to become more and more dissimilar |
| biodiversity | degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem |
| plant tropism | directional growth responses that plants exhibit in reaction to external stimuli like light, gravity, or touch. |
| thigmotropism | when a plant will respond to touch from an external source; example is a Venus fly trap or vine |
| biomes | large geographic area characterized by specific climate conditions, plant life, and animal life; example is large leaves in rainforest is plant adaptation for light in rainforest biome |
| migration | seasonal movement of animals from one habitat to another in search of food, better conditions, or reproductive needs |
| fossil record | a term used by paleontologists to refer to the total number of fossils that have been discovered, as well as the information derived from them |
| Mechanisms of evolution | mutation, migration (gene flow), genetic drift, and natural selection |
| gene flow | the transfer of alleles of genes from one population to another |
| mutation | a change in the DNA sequence of a which alters the amino acid sequence of the protein |
| phylogeny | evolutionary development of a species; describes common ancestry |
| species | group of similar organisms that can mate with each other and produce fertile offspring |
Created by:
MrsKim
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